Academic Publishing Centre

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Accredited Journals

Accredited journals are recognised collections of scholarly articles written by experts in academic or professional fields. These journals meet specified criteria and therefore score high in terms of discipline reputation, peer review quality and high quality publishing standards. RCU researchers are highly encouraged to publish in journals contained in the lists below in order to receive recognition for any research articles written.

  • Clarivate Analytics Web of Science
  • Scopus
  • Norwegian
  • Directory of Open Access journals (DOAJ)
  • The International Bibliography of Social Sciences (IBSS)
  • SciELO SA
  • Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET) - South Africa
  • Journal Selector Tools

    Electronic Journal Selector Web-based tools use cutting- edge algorithmic and semantic technology to support author manuscript publication decisions. It helps researchers to evaluate and compare scholarly journals and discover which journals are most relevant. Find a suitable journal for a manuscript based on the title, abstract of the article, description of the research, or sample text. Copy and paste the article's abstract into the relevant search boxes, and the Journal Selectors will return a list of relevant journals that publish in related areas.

    • Elsevier Journal Finder
    • Springer Journal Selector
    • JournalGuide
    • Clarivate Endnote Manuscript Matcher
    • JANE: Journal/Author Name Estimator
    • Cofactor Journal Selector
    • SJFinder Journal Selector
    • IEEE Publication recommender
    • Journal Evaluation Tool
    • Wiley Journal Finder
    • Taylor & Francis Journal Suggester
    • Open Journal Matcher

    Journal Impact Factors

    • Impact factors are one indicator of journal quality. They are calculated by determining the number of times published articles have been cited in the preceding two years. The higher the impact factor, the more articles have been cited.
    • The impact factor, however, should not be used exclusively to establish journal quality. Informed peer-review should also be considered.
    • Click here to view Impact Factor, Citation Analysis, and other Metrics.

    Predatory Publications

    “Predatory journals and publishers are entities that prioritise self-interest at the expense of scholarship and are characterised by false or misleading information, deviation from best editorial and publication practices, a lack of transparency, and/or the use of aggressive and indiscriminate practices.” Consensus definition (Grudniewicz, Moher, Cobey, et al, 2019) Click the following links to view lists of questionable publishers.

    • List of Predatory Publishers
    • List of Predatory Journals
    • Beall’s List

    How To Identify Predatory Publications

    The RCU library has put together lists of Accredited Journals for your convenience. If a journal does not appear in this list, check the link below on how to identify a predatory journal:
    ThinkCheckSubmit
    Also Consider: Invitation to publish via overly flattering e-mails Deception/hijacking – they use the same title as a well-known existing journal Broad journal title – includes subject fields not normally grouped together Charge exuberant author fees – more than $5,000. High acceptance rate – more than 50% Rapid publication – little or no peer-review Authors are not required to rework material – publish without changes No ISSN or DOI (digital object identifier) Editorial board members - no affiliation, experience or contact detail - Gmail or yahoo e-mail addresses (not academic) - do these people know they are on the Board? Fake websites - do not exist - poorly maintained - spelling mistakes - dead links Proof of peer review Indexed by typical databases in the field Journal claims to have an impact factor – but no way of confirming this Trust your professional judgment

    Publisher & Editor Associations

    Open Access Scholarly Publishers Association (OASPA) Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) International Association of Scientific, Technical & Medical Publishers (STM) World Association of Medical Editors (WAME)

    Retracted Papers

    Retraction removes seriously flawed papers from the scientific literature due to errors, scientific fraud or plagiarism. Retraction Watch tracks retracted papers. Retracted papers are recorded in a searchable database of retracted papers. Click here to view the list.

    Publishing Opportunities

    EIFL (Electronic Information for Libraries) has negotiated and made agreements with publishers for waived or discounted Article Processing Charges (APCs) to authors from eligible EIFL partner countries through their Licensing Programme. Click here to view publishing opportunities courtesy of EIFL.

    RCU IR (Institutional Repository)

    The RCU IR centralises, preserves, and makes accessible the knowledge generated by RCU as an academic institution. Institutional repositories enable researchers to self-archive their research output and can improve the visibility, usage and impact of research conducted at an institution. Click here to view the RCU IR

    Useful Tools & Resources

    Journal Impact Factor: Its Use, Significance and Limitations The Clarivate Analytics Impact Factor Journal Citation Reports Academic Accelerator Metrics Toolkit Directory of Open Access Journals Springer Journal Suggester Elsevier Journal Finder T&F Journal Suggester Measuring a journal's impact Scientific Journal Rankings (SJR) Journal / Author Name Estimator Edanz Journal Selector How to select academic journals for publishing www.resurchify.com Journal Guide Think, Check, Submit Choosing the right journal for your manuscript Choosing the right journal for your research Publishing your research Report on grouped peer review of scholarly journals in education Sherpa Romeo - Journal Policies On publishing research data (2017) Research Data Publishing Avoiding Predatory Journals and Publishers

    Useful Links & Resources

    Combatting Predatory Academic Journals And Conferences A report by the Interacademy partnership (IAP), 2022. Tips to Avoid Predatory Journals and Conferences This article is a summary of a full-length guide, complete with a full list of references, by Sarah Eaton, 2018. Avoiding Predatory Journals & Questionable Conferences A Resource Guide by Sarah Eaton, 2018. Predatory Journals, Publishers & Conferences by Prof. Don Cowan Predatory Publishers: How to Recognize Them and Why We Should Avoid Them by Dr Cheryl Tosh